Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for Feb. 9
Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment.
On Friday's edition of "The Five," one viewer wrote in and asked the group, "What's the coolest thing they own?"
I said, lamely, my car.
If I had been asked that question a few hours later, I would have given a different answer.
I would have said, "The letter I received (‘in the mail’) from Mr. Orson Bean."
Because he died Friday night, at the age of 91.
He was a tough son of a gun.
The letter itself offered me encouragement and praise for the work I was doing here and it meant everything to me.
ORSON BEAN (Photo by Danny Feld/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
Orson was a bona fide Hollywood legend. I could tell you everything -- his time in the service, the movies he starred in, the awards he received, his hosting and guesting "The Tonight Show" -- too many times to count. But that's what obituaries -- and the Wikipedia page they'll be lifted from -- are for (it's true).
He was a relentless, entertainment machine (like no other) and no one who met him didn't come away thinking they had just met someone from another world.
FILE - In this file photo dated Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, actor and comedian Orson Bean and his wife Alley Mills arrive at the Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, USA. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Me -- I'll tell a great story, because Orson told great stories.
When I came to L.A. for a Friends of Abe event (the Hollywood conservative underground group) maybe 10 or 12 years ago, my buddy Andrew Breitbart offered me a place to stay, which I assumed was at his own house. But instead, he drove me an hour or so to Venice, where he said, "You're gonna stay with my father-in-law, Orson." Which was weird -- until I realized how weird it really was.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE OPINION NEWSLETTER
Orson Bean walked out of his house to shake my hand and tell me how much he loved “Redeye,” the show I hosted on Fox News. At that time “Redeye” was an underground thing -- and will probably remain so, for that matter. But he watched the hell out of it. And proceeded to tell me so many jokes in rat-a-tat fashion that I realized I couldn't keep up with his brain (one inhabiting an eight-decades-old skull). The guy was sharp as a knife, and he could remember everything and tell amazing stories, despite enduring a pretty wild life (he even wrote a book on orgone therapy -- I'll leave you to search that one out).
More from Opinion
He was deliriously happy, perhaps due to perceiving his own incredible luck -- a beautiful wife, a fantastic family, a horde of grandkids, an unbelievable career and a strong faith.
LAUGH LINE -- Episode 101 -- Pictured: Guest panelist Orson Bean -- (Photo by: Paul W. Bailey/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
As we talked, I noticed that, taped on the front of his fridge, was a photograph of one of the planes flying into the Twin Towers on 9/11. He paused when he saw that I had noticed it, and became emotional, and told me why he had that there, and the purpose it served for him. Because I was so overwhelmed by the situation, I digested almost none of it.
Orson was a relentless, entertainment machine (like no other) and no one who met him didn't come away thinking they had just met someone from another world.
So, as it turns out that wasn't a great story at all. I can't even remember the best part.
Which means, in short, I'm certainly no Orson.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
But neither are you. In fact, no one could be Orson -- but him.
Rest in peace.
If you'd like to know more about Orson Bean you can listen to my podcast with him from last year.